Gun: Coltons Journey
by DouglassWolf
Summary: Coltons life with an added twist, what if Hoodoo had knocked Colton out before he got through the door?
1. Prelude

**Just a few changes to the background. Colton grew up with Ned in the Rocky's but they lived in Dodge with Sadie during the winter months. Therefore he views Sadie as a mother figure. Other changes will be unveiled in later chapters, so be patient.**

Colton White's fingertips brushed the railing of the Morning Star, his ears picking out the faint sound of Ned White talking to Sadie Jennings in the cabin. He allowed a slight grin to appear on his tanned and bristly face as he remembered all that the Dodge City whore had done for him and Ned over the years of their acquaintance. The woman had been something of a surrogate mother him as he had grown from the little child he'd been when they first met, and he would go to her with problems he couldn't take to Ned. Colton's memories faded back into the real world as he sensed something very wrong about a person who was approaching.

"A glorious bounty, my son." The man was not particularly tall, but he was well built. While he wore the vestige of a preacher, there was a great amount of dirt under his nails, his hair and beard were greasy and unkempt, and there were traces of some dark substance that flecked the greatcoat he wore.

"Truly the Lord has blessed you as a talented marksman." His voice was rough and unpleasant to the ear, and Colton could see bits of the mans last meal in his teeth. But despite his misgivings he still answered politely as possible, just as Sadie had taught him.

"I do alright, preacher." He responded. The Reverend patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll rest easy tonight knowing one so capable as you is among us." It was just then that Ned and Sadie came out of the cabin. Sadie gave Ned a quick kiss before walking up toward the front of the boat. The preacher glanced back and forth between Colton and Ned for a moment before bowing slightly.

"Good day to you, sirs." He said before walking past them and following Sadie. Colton watched the mans back for a moment before turning to Ned.

"If that's a man of the cloth then I'm the king of Siam." Ned nodded in agreement.

"Keep an eye on him, I'm gonna have a word with the pilot." Colton glanced at Ned for a moment before following the reverend. He reached the railing of the upper deck and glanced down at where Sadie was standing, talking with the preacher. He turned to the stairs and had taken only a few steps when he heard a slap, then running footsteps which he quickly identified as belonging to Sadie. Then he heard the preachers voice as he broke into and run and charged down the stairs.

"Thy will be done!" He reached the bottom step just in time to see the preacher throw the tomahawk in his hand. Time seemed to slow down as Colton watched the small ax tumble end over end until it embedded itself with a sickening crunch in the back of Sadie's head.

"NOW!" the preachers voice sparked a barrage of gunfire from the shore. Anyone foolish enough to be directly on deck in the first volley was cut down by the wave of lead. Colton managed to duck behind the stairs just in time. But after that things happened far too fast. He barely heard Ned's voice telling him to get up to the upper deck. But surprisingly, his mind cleared quickly. He raced up the stairs to get to the upper deck and sprinted to Ned's position.

"Son, we gotta find Sadie and get outta here." Colton pulled Ned back down.

"It's too late, that preacher killed her. Son of a bitch is leading the attack." Ned sank down to the deck at the news. The sight of Ned reduced to this tore at Coltons heart.

"Son, listen close cause there ain't much time. I've done my best to try and raise you right, but all your life I been lying to you." Colton flinched as the steamer shuddered beneath their feet. Ned stumbled slightly. "The boilers are gonna blow." He seized Coltons hand and pushed something into it. "Take this, it's a token to the Alhambra, a cathouse in Dodge City. Go there and ask for Jenny." Colton grabbed Ned elbow.

"I ain't leaving ya Pa!"

"God dammit it that's what I'm trying to tell ya." Ned grasped Colton's shirt front, get right in his face. "I ain't yer father, now GO!" With that Ned shoved Colton over the side of the steamer. Colton came up gasping for air. Looking up at the steamer he could see the sparks that would spell the steamers end.

"Pa, jump!" No response came as the boilers exploded, sending the nameplate of the Morning Star crashing down on Coltons head. Blackness engulfed him, and he knew no more.

**Please let me know what you think.**


	2. Ch 1: Welcome to Dodge

Colton woke to a throbbing head, and an unfamiliar shadow over him.

"Hey, what's this?" It only took a moment for Colt to figure out what it was the stranger was holding, the token that Ned had given him. In a flash, Colt seized the man and flipped their positions.

"Give that back." He plucked the token from the mans unresisting hand.

"Meant no harm, friend. I thought you was dead, why, I kicked you three times." Colt stood slowly, taking immediate note of the gun that lay on the ground next to him. His own. He was quiet for a moment before everything came back to him.

"I need to get upriver, the steamboats been ambushed." The man started at this.

"The Morning Star, that was three days ago, were you aboard?" Colt nodded in affirmation.

"I hate to tell you friend, but no one survived, injuns killed the lot of them, scalped every man, woman, and child. Bloody savages." Colton turned to him, looking him over with a sharp eye. The man was filthy, and had bandages with fresh blood on them. He also possessed an air of something rotten, not to the degree that the preacher had, but enough to put him on edge.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Friends call me 'Honest Tom.'" Colton immediately guessed that the man was anything but honest. But a look behind him revealed two horses. The larger of the two, a long legged bay, seemed to have come from a livery stable. Probably was the mount of some finer class of gentleman if the English saddle was any indication. The smaller creature however, was a little grulla mustang, not more than fourteen hands high at the shoulder. The heavy stock saddle buckled onto its back spoke of hard use by its previous owner, and the dark leather offset the lighter smoke color of the horse.

"That horse for sale?" Colton asked, figuring that the man would probably ask a ridiculous price for the animal.

"In a hurry, ay? I don't blame ya, if I had me a token to the Alhambra I'd be in a hurry to. You look to be a sporting man, care to wager?" Colton watched him for a moment.

"Sure." his voice had a slight edge to it that went unnoticed by the smaller man as they both walked to the horses.

Colton watched Tom carefully until the man was putting his foot into the stirrup on the big bay. Colton jumped onto the grulla's back, not putting his feet in the stirrups until he was seated. The mustang, much to his credit, remained motionless. The bay though, rolled his eyes and jumped, nearly unseating Tom. He recovered quickly though, and glared at Colton for a moment.

"Now, uh, you have ridden before, have you not?" He asked, as if unsure. "Being honest as I am, I'll let you run around a bit before we wager." Colton raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. He did take the time offered to get used to the grulla's paces, until Tom called over to him.

"Ya look like ya know what you're doing. Any cuss worth his britches oughta be able ta whip me in a horse race. Watta ya say?" Colton agreed easily. The race was over quickly, after which Tom challenged Colton to a shooting contest, Colton the victor.

"Well, you win fair and square. Be kind to her will ya? She's been a good animal." Colton murmured thanks to the man and turned to go. A pair of men riding up stopped him though.

"God dammit, it took ya long enough!" Tom yelled.

"So much for your name." Colton remarked dryly.

"Did you really think I'd give up my ride without a fight? Let's kill this bastard, he's got an Alhambra token on him." Colton watched as they started to move. His gun came up and belched flame before any of them could react. The grulla stood stock-still, earning Colton's respect just a little more. One of Toms companions fell from his saddle as Colton swung his pistol around to Tom other friend, thumbed back the hammer and pulled the trigger. Tom found himself without friends as Colton swung the six-gun to bear on him. The last thing Tom saw was Colton's gun breathing fire.

"Much obliged Tom, if I ever come by this way again I'll be sure to throw some dirt on ya." Colton said as he turned the grulla onto the trail to Dodge.

~O~

Colton looked down from the ridge at the ferry to Dodge. Turning and riding down, he was met by the ferryman.

"You're lucky, this is my last run until further notice. Fugitive band of Apache's are on the warpath again, they cut the telegraph and destroyed the bridge to Empire." Colton watched the mans back.

"What's got em stirred up?"

"New railroad between Dodge and Empire, it cuts through their land. Oh, and seeing as you're new to Dodge, I might want ta warn you about the locals. Dodge can be a pretty rough place, so if your gonna start a fight, be prepared ta finish it, or plan on getting outta town until it blows over. Ah, I'm sure you'll be fine. Have a good one." Colton glanced at him, then shrugged and rode up the hill into town. The first thing he noticed as he came into Dodge City was the large builing with the word Alhambra printed on its side. He rode around to the front and dismounted at the hitching rail. He walked in and moved straight to the bar. The bartender glanced up from the glass he was cleaning as he approached.

"Help ye?" Colton slid the token across the counter.

"I'm looking for Jenny." The barkeep rested his elbow on the bar before looking to his left.

"Hey, Jenny." A pretty blonde girl looked away from the man she was talking to before walking to the bar, leaving the man staring in disbelief. She looked at the token on the counter.

"Where did you get this?" she asked. Colton braced himself for the surge of pain he was sure would come.

"Fella name of Ned White give it to me." Jenny nodded, looking as if she remembered something.

"Yes, I remember Ned. He was sweet on the girl that used to work here, Sadie. That's her picture there above the bar." Colton turned and leaned on the bar, as if for support. Hearing Sadie spoken of so fondly made him feel strange.

"Sadie's dead." Jenny stepped back in shock, the bartender looked up, pain evident in his old grey eyes.

"What...what do you know, who are you?" Colton took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Ned was my father, he and Sadie were killed on a steamer up north of here." Jenny looked at the ground for a moment.

"Come upstairs, we need to talk." she said as she put a hand on his arm. But as she turned the man she had been talking to interrupted.

"Goddammit girl. How long we gotta wait for to get a proper poke?" Colton rolled his eyes at the mans question. Jenny simply walked over to him.

"Till I tell you, now have another drink on me and I'll be with you shortly." But the man grabbed her arm and pointed a finger at Colton.

"He ain't getting a poke before us." Jenny began to struggle against his grip as Colton took a step forward.

"Not until I'm done with you, bitch. C'mon!" He shouted as he spun Jenny into his arm and pulled out his gun, firing at Colton as he backed toward the stairs. Colton rolled over the bar and pulled his own gun as the bartender grabbed a shotgun. The bartender popped up and fired a round of buckshot into the stomach of the nearest man as Colton put a slug between another mans eyes. The third man caught the second barrel of the bartenders shotgun high in the chest and went down choking on his own blood.

"Get upstairs and help Jenny!" The bartender yelled. Colton ran around the bar and dashed up the stairs, thrusting his knife into the belly of a large man at the top. Firing around the body, he shot two more men before diving behind a pile of crates. He paused only long enough to reload the empty chambers before stepping out and moving to the door. Rolling around the frame he took cover behind a stack of boxes.

"_These guys are pushovers._" Colton thought as he moved through the building, firing at the occasional gunman. Turning the corner he saw the open door at the end of the hall just as Jenny ran across it, followed closely by Rude.

"Get this asshole off me!" her shout was understandably filled with irritation and anger. Colton ran to the door and passed the frame just as Jenny hit the bed. Rude turned to see the barrel of Colton's gun belch flame.


	3. Ch 2: Long road to Empire

**okay, long time in the update. sorry about that. i've been focused on other stories.**

Jenny stood as Colton walked over to Rude's body, and watched as he took anything useful from the corpse. As he stood she reached out and touched his arm.

"Come on, I'd better show you this before more of them show up." she walked over to a large trunk and open the lid. "It's all yours. Night before she left Sadie begged me to keep it safe till Ned came for it. Poor girl was in love with him I think." Colton didn't respond, but looked into the trunk. Inside lay several items that he knew quite well. The photograph of Ned that Sadie had convinced him to take, the few shirts that Ned had owned, and a schofield .44. He picked up the pistol and sighted down the barrel.

"Ned never cared much for six-guns. Rifle and tomahawk were more his choosing." he paused for a moment. "Where'd Sadie go?" Jenny looked out the window.

"Empire. The new sporting house wanted her for the main attraction. But she disappeared the night after she got there." Colton paused at that.

"Do you know why?"

"No, but I might find out. Soon as the roads open I'm going to Empire to replace her." Anything more that might have been said was cut off by a blazing whiskey bottle that came flying through the window.

"Burn it to the ground! That bastard killed my brother!" Colton turned his head at the voice, and quickly checked to see if the schofield was loaded. Satisfied that it was not only loaded but had a belt full of shells to go with it, he strapped it onto his waist. His army conversion model he tucked into his waistband.

He and Jenny raced down the stairs, just in time to stop the arsonists. Colton put the fires out and Jenny went back upstairs to check on some of the girls. Just as Colton finished dousing the last of the blaze, a voice called out.

"Let's settle this thing, if you got the balls." Colton turned toward the door, but paused just before going out. Jenny had come down and had placed her hand on his arm.

"Be careful." He nodded before stepping out the door. As he reached the middle of the street he turned to face the man that Jenny had called Crude. He watched the man carefully as he crouched slightly. Colton rolled his eyes as he stood there, simply relaxed, upright, and calm. As Crude reached for his gun, Colton's hand came up and caught the handle of the schofield, pulling it up and out of the holster. He thumbed back the hammer before squeezing off his shot. Crude's gun fired into the dust as he took the bullet in his chest. As the man's body hit the ground, Colton holstered his gun. The sound of clapping caught his attention.

"That was some fine shooting kid, bet he was dead afore he hit the ground." Colton glanced at the tin star on the mans chest.

"You gonna arrest me?" the man took a step and caught Coltons arm.

"Hell no, I wanna hire you. The name's Patrick Denton, city marshal." Denton looked over toward the entrance to the Alhambra as Jenny came storming out.

"Where you been Pat, all hells broken loose here. Huh? Huh?" she said as she stormed up and pushed pat back.

"Down at the bridge. Apache's are making things plenty hot out there. Say kid, I could use a crack shot like you to protect the Chinamen. How bout it?" Pat asked. Colton was about to answer when Jenny took his arm.

"He's coming back inside with me." Pat pushed his hat back.

"Well lucky him. Well, if you change your mind, you can find me in my office or down at the bridge." turning, he headed for his office. "Peckerwood." he muttered as he walked.

/

Colton set his foot down on the floor, stomping lightly to make sure the boot was on. Nearby, Jenny sat in a bathtub, washing herself. Colton glanced up at her for a moment.

"Jenny can you keep a secret?" Jenny let out a light scoff.

"I'm a book of secrets honey." Colton rolled his eyes, though the gesture went unnoticed.

"I was on that steamboat, and a murdering preacher led the attack. I saw him kill Sadie." Jenny gasped.

"A preacher! About a week ago a reverend named Reed came in looking for Sadie." Colton looked at her.

"Did he say where he was from?"

"Said he'd come from Empire." Colton stood up slowly.

"Then as soon as the road's open, that's where I'm going." Jenny swung her leg over the side of the tub, and reached out to grab Colton's hat, and place it on her head.

"I know the mayor of Empire, name's Hoodoo Brown. If anyone can find this Reed, it'll be him." Colton buckled on his gunbelt as he stepped past Jenny.

"Then I'd better get that road open." Glancing down at her, he took his hat off her head and tossed a silver dollar into the tub. "Keep the change." he said as he walked out of the room.

/

When he reached the bridge, Colton could see the marshal arguing with a Chinaman in one of their distinctive conical hats. As he approached he glanced over the various workers sitting near the edge of the canyon. Approaching the marshal, he paid little attention to the argument the man was involved in.

"This the road to Empire?" Pat glanced around, caught off guard by the question.

"What? Yeah, till Quick-Killer shut it down. Apache's been keeping things so hot even the Irish won't work. Only the damn Coolies'll do anything." Colton glanced back at the Chinamen.

"So where do you want me?" Pat pointed across the canyon.

"At the far end of the bridge son. Chinamen have got one last section to go and I don't want them stopped again. And kid, Indians made off with a box of TNT last night. They're fixing to use it I'm sure." Colton snorted and walked down to the path across the river.

/

As Colton knelt over the body of an Apache that lay on the bridge, he heard Pat's footsteps coming up behind him.

"That was some fine shooting kid, Quick-Killer's gonna think twice before he tries something again." Colton glanced at him just in time to watch an arrow take his hat off. "God dammit the devil won't give up!" Pat cursed. Colton looked down at the other end of the bridge where a large Apache stood on the boxes, giving a loud war whoop. Quick-Killer jumped down to the surface of the bridge and slowly stalked toward the two men. Colton holstered his gun and drew his knife.

"Stay here sheriff. I'll handle this." he said as he passed the knife to his right hand. He and Quick-Killer circled on the bridge, never taking their eyes off of each other, knowing that the first one to break eye contact would be dead. Several minutes passed like this. The two men circling but making no other move. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, and it was beginning to tell on the two men in the center of the bridge. Quick-Killer finally gave in to the pressure and charged. Colton slipped under the swing of the tomahawk and lashed out with his knife, catching a glancing blow on the Apache's side. As Quick-Killer spun around, swinging his tomahawk for all he was worth, Colton stepped in close and drove his knife deep between the indian's ribs. Quick-Killer gasped as he felt the knife cut into his heart, and his eyes dulled as he slowly fell to the deck of the bridge. Colton stood, picking up the Apache's tomahawk as Pat came up.

"Kid, that's a load off my mind. With Quick-Killer out of the way we'll have this bridge open lickety-split and you and Jenny can be on your way." Colton looked across to the trail that disappeared into the canyons.

"That trails still gonna be crawling with apaches. How many men you got going with us?"

"Just two, driver and shotgun messenger."

"Well that ain't enough."

"That's all your getting, apaches have everyone else to damn scared." Colton looked down the trail again.

"Alright, we'll make do." he said as a Chinaman came and dragged Quick-Killer's body away.

/

As Colton walked up to the stage he subtly admired Jenny's figure as she handed her luggage up to the stage driver. As he approached, she turned to him. Colton took a breath to steady himself, taking the suitcase from her hands and tossing it up on top of the stage.

"We're likely to meet apache's along the way." Jenny nodded.

"If they get the upper hand, promise me you'll put a bullet in my head before they have their fun." Colton nodded as he opened the stagecoach door and helped her in. He turned and walked to the horse that Pat Denton had given him. A long-legged thoroughbred, the animal was well fed and well cared for. As he swung into the saddle, he kept the stage driver in the corner of his eye. Once the driver and shotgun messenger were settled on top of the coach, he gave the thoroughbred a nudge.

"Get those wheels rolling, Pops!" he shouted as the driver gave the reins a shake. The coach shook as the team jumped into motion. Colton ran his horse out in front of the stage and over the bridge, into the canyons outside of dodge. It wasn't long before they encountered the first apaches. The first arrow struck the ground near the thoroughbred, and made it jump as Colton pulled out his rifle and fired at the apache, the bullet ricocheting off the rocks. As the coach rounded a bend in the trail, an arrow struck the neck of the shotgun messenger. The man fell from the seat, and under the wheels of the stage. The stage slid to a stop next to a small cliff, the wheel hanging uselessly at an angle. The driver jumped down from the box.

"The wheel pins busted! I can fix her but it'll take some time." An apache running toward the coach was suddenly blown back as his head disintegrated in a mass of flesh and bone. Jenny worked the action on the rifle in her hands.

"Then I'll buy you some, with this." Colton pulled up next to her, gunning down an indian aiming for her. Dismounting, he made the thoroughbred lay down on the ground, and knelt behind the animal. Jenny knelt next to him and continued firing at the apaches. It wasn't long before Pops gave a shout.

"Wheels done, let's get outa here!" Jenny scrambled back into the coach as the driver jumped up to the seat. Colton started to coax the thoroughbred up, but noticed an arrow going through the animals eye. Pulling the saddle and bridle off, he threw them up onto the stage, then scrambled up after them. Settling himself among the luggage, he check his weapons to make sure that they were completely loaded. The coach lurched as Pops snapped the reins and got the team moving through the canyons again.

/

Empire city was dusty, but not much worse than Colton had expected. As the stage pulled up in front of Hoodoo's palace, he noticed a tall man in a broadcloth suit standing on the steps.

"Thank God you're here. With the telegraph lines down we feared the worst." Jenny stepped down and away from the coach.

"We were ambushed in the badlands." the man took her hand and spun her lightly, examining her.

"I trust none of your precious parts were damaged. You know how our customers hate bruised fruit." Jenny pulled away.

"I'm alright, thanks to Colton here." she said as Colton jumped down from the stage. "He left more than a few apache's dead in their tracks." the man nodded.

"The town of Empire owe's you a debt of thanks. I'm Mayor Hoodoo Brown. If there's anything I can do for you, feel free to ask." Jenny looked up at him.

"I told him you could help him." Hoodoo looked back at Colton.

'Tell you what, you take some time and look around town. Come back here when your ready and we can have us a proper sit down." he said before turning and nudging Jenny toward the door of the sporting house. "Now let's get you cleaned up."


	4. Temporary Hiatus

Okay guys I've come to a decision. I'm sick of the Hiatus and I'm going to resume work on all my stories. Restricting my self was just too much trouble. Sorry for any frustration this break has caused, and I hope to get the next chapter of this story up really soon.

Thanks for waiting for me. I apologize for the delay. -Douglasswolf


End file.
